Induced defence responses of cereals to pathogen attack

The defence responses of plants are usually composed of a multitude of structural and biochemical events. Some occur constitutively, whereas others, which are emphasised in this review, are formed in response to pathogen attack and are considered as active reactions of plants. Induction of defence mechanisms can be observed in all plants regardless of their genetic background. Thus, this phenomenon can occur in cultivars with or without known genes for disease resistance. The general defence features of plants may contribute significantly to the overall disease resistance of plants and increasing evidence for the role of different defence molecules are being obtained from molecular studies. In this review, induction of defence mechanisms, especially phenylpropanoid metabolism and its role in the defence responses of cereals to pathogen attack is addressed. Also, induced resistance as a potential tool for disease control in cereals will be briefly discussed.